Tama Drums has been a big manufacturer of everything related to drums for quite a few years and they’ve built up quite the fan base! Known for having a drum sets for professionals and beginners alike, they have something for everyone! Below we’ll be covering the Tama Imperialstar Drum Set:
Pros:
- Kick-ass snare drum
- It includes everything you may need
- Double-braced hardware for extra strength
- The sturdy base of the bass drum pedal
- Durable
- Budget-friendly
- Toms and cymbals sound great
- Easy to tune
- Robust drum pedal
Cons:
- Drumsticks not included
- Drum heads need an upgrade to sound better as they’re similar to stock drum heads.
Are you looking for an entry-level drum kit?
Are you a beginner and planning to kick-start your drumming career?
Or an experienced percussionist wanting to give a try to an entry-level drumming kit?
If yes, a Tama Imperialstar drum kit can be an excellent option for you.
But does it sound good?
Should you buy Tama Imperialstar?
Our Tama Imperialstar review will help you with all your questions.
Let’s begin.
About Tama Drums:
Tama – the child company of Hoshino Gakki – is the brand behind this drum kit. Tama is well known for its musical hardware and drum kits.
Hoshino Gakki has two manufacturing lines. The first line offers high-end, expensive, and professional drums, made in Japan.
The second one offers less expensive and beginner drum sets, made in Guangzhou, China. The Tama Imperialstar 5-piece Complete Drum Kit belongs to this category.
But this fact shouldn’t influence your buying decision. Tama has been making kits and is known for quality products.
Great drummers, such as Anika Nilles and Robert Searight, always used Tama kits.
What’s All Included:
TAMA Imperialstar is a kit that is packed with everything a beginner may need to get started (except the drumsticks!).
You get the cymbals from Meinl, cymbal stand, drum shells, hardware, and a bass drum pedal.
Drums
• 18 x 22″ bass drum
• 8 x 10″ and 9 x 12″ toms
• 5 x 14″ snare drum
• 14 x 16″ floor tom
• Bass drum pedal
Cymbals
• Meinl HCS 16″ crash cymbal
• Meinl HCS 20″ ride cymbal
• Meinl HCS 14″ HiHat cymbals
• FREE Meinl HCS 10″ splash cymbal
Hardware
• HP200P Iron Cobra bass drum pedal
• Straight cymbal stand
• Boom cymbal stand
• Snare drum stand
• HiHat stand
• Drum throne
Colors
• Champagne Mist
• Hairline Black
• Hairline Blue
• Midnight Blue
• Candy Apple Mist
• Vintage Red
How’s It Look?
This set comes in multiple colors and every single one of them looks very stylish. It is painted keeping stage lighting in mind.
The drums are curated using eight plies of 100% poplar.
Although the drum set comes with a thin poplar shell, which is an entry-level feature, stands and bases have high-quality metal. Furthermore, the positions are double-braced.
All in all, it is a sturdy and aesthetic looking drum set.
How Does The Tama Imperialstar Sound?:
Despite the shells being made up of thin poplar, they sound way better than any other entry-level drum set. The bearing edges on the drum offers full sounds.
But it is not as great as the sound created by mahogany and maple shells.
The poplar inhibits the sound from being crystal clear but offers a brighter tone that many drummers actually prefer.
To compensate for the poplar shells, this kit comes with smaller lugs as compared to those with another entry-level drum set. This allows the shell to offer much more than you may expect.
Features of The Imperialstar:
This Tama drum set – with poplar shells – is a treat for your eyes because of its attractive color. Tama Imperialstar offers a deep bass drum sound.
It includes snare drums that respond incredibly to fast attacks, respectable hardware, and equilibrated toms.
Having all requirements in one package offers a hassle-free experience. You just have to plug and play. It’s that simple.
A different drum set may give you a feeling that adding a certain thing to it will make it perfect. This will not happen with the Tama drum kit as it already comes with everything that’s needed.
With high range features, it is ideal for beginners and intermediate drummers with a powerful attack. You will get sound full of brilliants tones, especially with the. snare drum.
Overall, Tama Imperialstar drum kits are easy to tune. Get it out of the box, put all things together, tune it with the best drum key you have, and enjoy! Even if you don’t have a drum key, they usually sound pretty good out of the box!
Lastly, the precision engineering of the drumming set allows it to resonate consistently and fully. It neither buzz nor warp, which is the last thing you’d want with your new drum set
The Bass Drum
Tama Imperialstar drum set – with Accu-Tune hoops – is made plastic and strengthened with fiberglass. So, the drum is more resistant and less heavy than wood.
Talking about the sound, we cannot emphasize enough on the depth of the music. The bass drum sound is intensified with a microphone – one of the most significant features of the set
Bass drum spurs are another exclusive feature as they have a detachable spiral rod. This quality offers excellent stability and durability. These bass drum spurs are a nice to have bonus with this drum set.
The flip side of the drum set being the plastic made drum rings, which is a disadvantage while tuning. However, we don’t think it is a big deal.
Lastly, the drum set comes without a hole. If you feel it’s essential, you can pierce it. Alternatively, you can use it as it is.
To sum it up, it is the most exciting part of the drum kit (according to us) and is way beyond one would expect for an entry-level kit.
We would go to take the liberty of saying that the bass drum may make the rest of the drum kit look bad. It attractive, thin, and a sharp sound.
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Snare Drum
The poplar wood made snare shell has an acute and strong sound, especially when you hit it at the center.
However, its sound can’t be compared to the bass and toms – one of the lacking features of the kit.
It comes with a flexible stool, but the stability may not be adequate.
We love the fact that the drum kit comes with a drum throne, which is a missing accessory in many Tama drum kits.
Toms
We liked the sound of the toms as it is very clear. The Taiwanese drum heads, however, offers an entry-level sound and make the toms sound weaker. With good drum heads the sound will really carry and show off the sound quality.
Despite this fact, the sound of the toms is satisfying. You can further improve it by replacing the drum heads with those of good quality.
The toms can be moved inward and outward around 90 degrees but can’t be moved closer to you. Toms are thus flexible. Furthermore, the tone differs between the toms and the floor tom.
So, the quality of the floor tom is surprisingly good. Its internal padding avoids unwanted reverberation
Cymbals
Tama has teamed up with Meinl HCS – a great cymbal brand used by the majority of the modern-day drummers.
Cymbals are made up of brass and offer seamless functioning with the drums. You can go with a band or perform solo and still rock the stage.
Hardware
Tama Imperialstar comes with double brassed hardware. The stands are essential accessories. They are firm and adjustable, which is a pretty great feature taking price into consideration.
The bass drum and the Hi-hat pedals have the comfortable sensibility and the bass drum stand have excellent stability.
The Iron Cobra HP200P kick pedal and double tom holder are designed to prevent their loosening on hard executions.
Pros:
- Kick-ass snare drum
- It includes everything you may need
- Double-braced hardware for extra strength
- The sturdy base of the bass drum
- Durable
- Budget-friendly
- Toms and cymbals sound great
- Easy to tune
- Robust drum pedal
Cons:
- Drumsticks not included
- Drum heads need an upgrade to sound better
Are Tama Imperialstar drums good?
For beginners, yes, this acoustic drumming set is one of the best kits offered by Tama, especially when it comes to value. The cymbals sound good, snare drum, and hardware is of high-quality, and all the parts are way better than most beginner kits in the market. They are durable and easy to set. Drums by Tama come in attractive colors, which are curated for stage lightings. Furthermore, the price is highly competitive.
They are especially good for amateurs and anyone who wants an entry-level drumming set. Of course if you’re more than a beginner is it better to pick something more professional.
How do you assemble a Tama Imperialstar drum set?
This drum set is easy to assemble. Just follow the instructions of this video, plug it and you are ready to play.
Where are Tama drums made?
Tama drums and entry-level kits are made in Guangzhou, China.
Also Read: Best Shoes For Drumming
Final Thoughts On Tama Imperialstar Drum Kit:
I hope this ImperialStar review was helpful for those looking at a set. Tama ImperialStar is a well-designed and amazing looking drum set. It comes with almost everything to get you started, except the drumsticks.
You have to remove the kit and plug it, and you are good to go!
The quality of this kit is way beyond you may expect for any entry-level kit. The sleek, black, brass drum is the show-stealer.
The sound offered by the kit is also great, especially the cymbals and toms. It is easy to tune and durable. Besides, this kit is budget-friendly.
The flipside of the kit is the sound of the snare and drum head quality. However, you can upgrade them for high-quality drum heads for better sound.
Overall, Tama ImperialStar is an excellent option for beginners or intermediate drummers looking for entry-level drumming kits.
We hope this Tama ImperialStar review will help you to make an informed decision.
Happy drumming!
